LEADERSHIP STYLES AND EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION. (A CASE STUDY OF NIGERIAN BOTTLING COMPANY (NBC), BENIN CITY, EDO STATE)

ABSTRACT

This study aims to identify the various effects of different leadership styles (transactional, transformational, authoritative, and laissez-faire) on employee motivation at the Nigerian Bottling Company in Benin City, Edo State, which has resulted in a decline in product quality. In this study, a quantitative research methodology was used, and 124 employee questionnaires selected by simple random sampling were distributed to yield 100 valid structured surveys. A modified version of the Multi-factor Leadership questionnaire, created by Avolio and Bass (1995) specifically for this study, was used to determine leadership style. The Yousef (2000) scale was employed to assess employee performance. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to the data analysis. The inferential statistics of the data were presented using regression analysis and Pearson's correlation to explain the relationships and effects in accordance with the research assumptions. The results of the data collection show the researcher how the various leadership styles discussed in this study impact employee performance within the company; all leadership styles have a strong positive correlation with employee motivation, with the exception of authoritative leadership, which has a negligible negative correlation. When compared to other leadership styles covered in this research, the finding gives the researcher the confidence to suggest transformational leadership to supervisors in the workplace. Keywords: Leadership, Transformational, Transactional, Laissez-faire, Authoritative, Employee performance, Nigeria.